Sunday, April 29, 2012

Nugent told The Associated Press this week that his words were not intended as a threat against the president.

"To think that there's a bureaucrat in the United States Army that would consider the use or abuse of First Amendment rights in determining who is going to perform at an Army base is an insult and defiles the sacrifices of those heroes who fought for the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights," Nugent said.

Nugent said he had received messages of support from troops and noted that the Secret Service had met with him and closed its case about the remarks.

"There is nothing in my spoken word or written word that could be even wildly considered by any stretch of the imagination to be a threat to anyone," Nugent said.

Asked to clarify the remarks at the NRA convention, Nugent said: "A whole bunch of us ... believe ... we are in danger of being improperly and criminally jailed – I mean criminally on the part of the government."

Earlier in the week, Nugent pleaded guilty to transporting a black bear he illegally killed in Alaska, saying he was sorry for unwittingly violating the law.[...]Nugent said the prosecution in U.S. District Court was the result of a "witch hunt" by federal officials over his activism.

"We the people are turning up the heat," he said. "And that's why I'm being singled out by certain fish and game agencies and certain U.S. attorneys."

Typical wingnut, but words but whines and cries when he's held to his own standards. I guess he thinks he has the God given right to threaten and kill whomever and whatever he wants.

It's important that people realize that his last little clown show was far from his first. Maybe he doesn't think this sounded like a threat, but when you combine it with this, it sure sounds like it:

I was in Chicago last week I said, “Hey Obama, you might want to suck on one of these, you punk!” Obama, he’s a piece of shit and I told him to suck on one of my machine guns. Let’s hear it for them.

I was in New York and I said, “Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset you worthless bitch.”

I'm guessing somebody in the US Military was informed of these previous threats and decided it wasn't a good idea to allow him appear on base. It's a common problem when a Democratic president is in office. You'll recall that when Clinton was in office, there were similar issues:

Mr. Helms, a Republican from North Carolina, created a furor by saying that President Clinton was not up to the job of Commander in Chief, he told The News and Observer, a newspaper in Raleigh: "Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here. He'd better have a bodyguard."

Mr. Helms said soldiers disliked President Clinton because he had avoided service during the Vietnam War, supported homosexuals in the military and had reduced military spending.

It's always something.

By the way, if you haven't heard Hannity excusing Nugent's tirade, you should. What a little jerk.